Mauna Kea: A Novel of Hawai'i
A boundary-bridging novel that will surprise, captivate, and move
readers who thought they knew Hawaiʻi; an age-old story of healing a seared
heart and finding home.
Mauna Kea: A Novel of Hawai'i is a gripping tale of clashing
passions--science and spirituality, vengeance and compassion, fear and
courage--set atop Hawaiʻi's 14,000-foot Mauna Kea, realm of revered goddesses
and star-wise explorers. A young vagabond running from America's
turmoil is forced to confront his own grief and rage on an embattled holy
mountain in the Pacific. There he encounters a mysterious domain of ancient
mountain deities and the Native Hawaiians who revere them, including two wise
elders who take him under their wings and a young woman with a world-weary
heart akin to his own.
Through his startling experiences with them--and a motley
cadre of other islanders--he learns the power of aloha and
discovers an untapped reservoir of faith and courage that rekindles his hope in
himself and in the world we share.
Includes an illustrated map and 12 original pen-and-ink drawings made especially for the novel by John D. Dawson
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writing teacher, Tom Peek lived his early life on Minnesota's Upper Mississippi
River. After hitchhiking by boat through the South Seas, he settled on Hawaiʻi
Island three decades ago. There he's been, among other things, an astronomy and
mountain guide on Mauna Kea, an eruption ranger and exhibit writer on Kilauea,
and an insider participant in the efforts to protect both sacred volcanoes. In
praising his award-winning debut novel, Daughters of Fire, Maile
Meyer, founder of Honolulu's Native Books/Nā Mea Hawai'i, said, "Peek's
understanding of place, culture, and current issues is deep and respectful
without being heavy-handed." The Contemporary Pacific Journal called
him "a storyteller extraordinaire, cut from an older cloth seldom seen today."
that encompasses ancient Hawaiian concepts and American thought patterns. The
authentic characters are perfect. It's a Hawaiian cultural primer, a gift that
lifts the spirits high! ʻIolanaʻoe! (You soar like a hawk!)" -- Kaluna West,
Native Hawaiian artist, educator, and former Kahoʻolawe activist
"In Mauna Kea, Hawaiʻi-based author Tom Peek develops his craft far beyond his first novel, the award-winning Daughters of Fire. Peek's down-to-earth storytelling voice speaks to a broad audience--national, global, and local--no
small feat. His compelling and deftly woven plot lines, keen sense of
pacing, and finely-etched, authentic characters combine to bring to life
the world of the Mauna Kea Protectors Movement while also offering a
particularly intimate perspective on those who trace their ancestry to
this sacred mountain."
-- Susan Najita PhD, Associate Professor of Literature and
Asian/Pacific Islander Studies, University of Michigan
"An
authentic, eye-opening novel that lifts the veil on the ancient traditions and
modern political intrigues that underlie the longstanding controversy over
telescopes on Mauna Kea."--Nelson
Ho, Sierra Club leader and
longtime Mauna Kea activist
"In this
age of countless battles, whether over indigenous resources in the Americas or
territory in Ukraine, here's a novel that offers a deeper way to think about
conflict, a hopeful book sorely needed in these often-disheartening times."--Michael
Osmera PhD, retired cultural anthropologist, Linfield University in Oregon
"Tom Peek is an organic intellectual in the tradition of Mark Twain."--Poet Jaime Jacinto, author of Heaven is Just Another Country
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